The Oasis - November 13, 2019
Author: Rev. Estelle Margarones
November 13, 2019
November 13, 2019
Rev. Estelle Margarones
I got quite a surprise when I went outdoors today. Winter is knocking at the door! As I write, it’s 35 degrees outside and a woman at the Post Office told me that it’s going to be 14 tomorrow! (Don’t panic-it’s unlikely that it will actually be 14--my online weather app says 20.) As much as I would prefer to be wearing shorts, I’m wearing layers. When I go out, it will be with wool coat, gloves, and a warm hat. I’m reminded that to everything there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3).
I'm not what you would call “an early adopter”. Early adopters are those who get the latest technology as it's released. They're the ones who were texting when you didn't even have a cell phone. They're the ones who were using digital boarding passes when you were still getting hard tickets from your travel agent. They're the ones ahead of the curve, learning how to use things before you even know such things exist.
I remember the revelation that a certain thing was “life changing!”, but I can't remember what it was. It could have been the iphone or the Keurig, or the back-up camera on my car!
I initially dismissed each of these technologies because I had been doing just fine without them. I didn't know how to use them and I thought they were expensive. Now, I'm well aware that the money I spent and the time I took to learn how to use these things were very smart investments. I can't imagine my life without them!
Yet, I still resist change. True confession: I've never taken an Uber or Lyft, never used a DVR or Netflix, and after more than a decade of carrying a smartphone, I still don't have a single song on it (except for the U2 album that was put there by Apple.) In fact, I was forced to download and learn to use a parking app just two weeks ago when that was the *only* way to pay for parking at the Newburyport Commuter Rail station. I know that change is hard...even when the change is designed to enhance circumstances….and even when that change comes despite your wishes or lack of readiness.
I recently observed a small child in a new situation. The child delighted in her surroundings. She had those she loved nearby and she'd return to them from time to time and then venture off again to explore. Her loved ones were her touchstones. Think about it, for young children, most experiences are new. They are constantly in flux as they learn and grow. Jesus said that the kingdom belongs to those who can approach is as children.
What if we used faith as our touchstone when we encounter shifts in our lives? Secure in the knowledge that God is with us always, would we be willing to embrace some modifications and move forward? What would it be like if we could again be childlike, open to change around us and change within us?
Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it?
2 Cor 5:17 If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. The new is here!
Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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